Somewhere along the way, we got the idea that we are supposed to think in perfectly neat single-file lines. We don't. We think in millions of idea bubbles. Sometimes, all those thought bubbles overwhelm us and we just have to let them pop. Don't hold it in. Speak. Be heard. You have a voice, too.

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Saturday, May 9, 2015

A Different Kind of Mother's Day Gift

“Reality is wrong.
Dreams are for real.” – Tupac Shakur

My nine year old is hosting her first sleepover ever right now. There is a room of
giggling, squealing nine-year-old girls on the other side of the house who have
just stuffed themselves with almost an entire large cheese pizza (little girls
can eat a lot). They are now happily swiping
polish on each other’s nails and watching Dog
with a Blog (one of Disney’s more hideous shows, in my opinion). They just
spent two hours coloring every flagstone in my backyard with sidewalk chalk so
my backyard is blooming with dusty color. It’s fabulous.

This sleepover came with much drama in the making.

Emma desperately wanted to invite some friends over for a “just
because” sleepover this weekend. I tried to tell her it’s Mother’s Day weekend
and a lot of her friends may not be able to come because their parents may have
plans, but she was determined that it simply had to be this weekend.

So, we sat down and made invitations for the three girls she
wanted to invite (I just didn’t think my nerves, my sanity, could handle more
than that). We included my number to RSVP yes or no, the drop-off time, the
pick-up time, all the details. We made them colorful, we made them
personalized. She was super excited.

She handed them out on Monday. By Friday afternoon, no one
had RSVP’d. I had no idea who was coming, or even if anyone was coming. Emma was terribly upset because she thought
her sleepover was falling apart before it began.

During the week, Emma made a list of activities for her and
her friends to do. She didn’t want to just “wing it” at her sleepover; she
wanted to make sure there were plenty of fun things to keep everyone going. On
her trusty little notepad, she wrote:

1. draw with outside chalk

2. play with bubbles

3. wii

4. paint nails

5. makeovers

6. fashion show

7. color

8. FOOD!!!

9. make blanket forts

10. have fun and no fighting!

I love that she wrote “no fighting” on her list of ways to
have fun. She put a lot of thought into this list (especially number 8, can you
tell? Three exclamation marks.). But now who was coming?

Early Friday evening I received a call from one of the girl’s
parents saying that she wouldn’t be able to attend “after all”. After all?
Really? Was she planning to attend in the first place? So our list of possible
attendees was down to two. Then we got a call – finally – that someone was
coming! Emma just lit up like a sunbeam.

The final sleepover invitee didn’t RSVP until Saturday
morning (this is for the sleepover Saturday afternoon). She was also coming.
Now Emma would get to have two guests. She was so thrilled I thought her skin
was going to explode.

Emma bustled around the house, cleaning, organizing,
straightening things up. I ordered pizza for a dinner treat and Emma was practically
dancing with joy. Then her friends began arriving and she went into full-on
hostess mode:

“Hello, Emily, would you like me to show you where you can
put your bags?”

“Oh, don’t mind the dogs. They’re a bit sniffy, but they won’t
jump.”

“Come in, Mackey, come in, let me give you a tour of the
house.”

She just reveled in her tiny group of people and was so
all-consumingly happy that her sleepover had come to fruition.

She’s nine years old and this dream of hers – To Host a Sleepover
- that she’s had for a couple of years, has come true. She’s riding high and
living her dream. Right now. Right now she knows the glorious, intensely
satisfying feeling of wishes coming true.

It's not stargazer lilies. It's not chocolate-covered caramels. It's not even a Coke Icee. This is the best Mother’s Day present I could get: to make my
daughter’s wish come true.